Daughters
by twentysevenseconds
Summary: "My daughter, the birth of my daughter, gave me life." E/D, J/H. One-shot.


**A/N: What, a new story from me?! Yes, I'm just as surprised as you are! Hope you like. It's so sweet you might get a cavity - you've been warned.**

Eric entered his house after a long Friday afternoon, expecting the start of a peaceful and relaxing weekend with his wife and son (well, as relaxing as life with a 4yo and a pregnant lady could get, anyway). Instead, his legs were pummeled by Luke the second he set down his briefcase.

"Hey buddy," Eric scooped his son into his arms and kissed his sticky cheek. "How's it going?"

"Daddy, look!" Luke ignored the question, squirming in his father's arms. He thrust his action figure in Eric's face.

"Whoa, you know Spiderman?!" Eric raised his eyebrows, impressed, while Luke made Spiderman walk up Eric's arm. Last year for Christmas, he'd bought Luke the Marvel action figures platinum collection – and he'd secretly bought one for himself, too. Luke had only recently started showing an interest in playing with them, and he really favored Spiderman. Like father, like son.

"Yeah!" Luke shouted excitedly. Spiderman had reached Eric's shoulder, and now Luke ricocheted him off Eric's face. He fell to the floor, and Luke wriggled until Eric set him down. "His Spidey senses are tingling! I have to go save the world, bye!" Luke took off, and Eric rubbed the side of his face, watching him go.

"Ow," he chuckled. "Can I help?" he called after his retreating back.

"No!"

That kid was always moving, it seemed. He saw more and more of Donna in him every day, from his hazel eyes, to his determination to change the world, to his affinity for throwing things at Eric's face. Not that Donna was violent, per say. She was just a firm believer that if _she_ was uncomfortable, Eric should be, too. And a pregnant Donna was uncomfortable a lot.

"Eric?" Right on cue, Donna called him from the kitchen. She worked from home on Fridays.

"Yeah." He began to peel his shoes off, and Donna appeared around the corner, belly first. She was munching on a graham cracker, probably left over from Luke's afternoon snack. "Don't take those off," she nodded to his shoes. "We have to go to the hospital. Jackie's in labor." _Crunch, crunch._

"What?" Eric peeled his shoes off anyway, and Donna scowled.

"Jackie's having the baby. Hyde called me like an hour ago. They're at Point Place General and we have a 90 minute drive, so we have to leave now."

"Okay." Eric's shoulders sunk, realizing he was defeated. "Well can I at least change first?"

Donna's scowl deepened. "No. I need you to get Luke ready."

"We're taking Luke?"

"Uh. What else would we do with him? Everyone we know is going to the same place."

Eric raised his eyebrows as she retreated back to the kitchen and her pile of graham crackers. "Fair point," he murmured.

Luke was in his room, and Eric leaned on the door jamb for a moment before his son noticed his presence. He was off in his own little world, currently suspending Spiderman from his bed table with a rubber band. Sometimes Eric liked to play with him after work - he wondered if he'd still be able to do that once the new baby came in a few months. The sonogram said it was a girl, and Donna was over the moon excited. Eric was too, of course, but there was a part of him that was afraid. Boys, he got. A boy, he could play Spiderman with. What the hell did you do with a girl?

"Luke."

He looked up from his game, startled.

"Hey, we gotta go to the hospital. Your aunt Jackie is having her baby."

"Baby?" Luke sat back on his heels, confused. Spiderman dangled limply in his hand. Eric nodded, and came into the room. He sat on Luke's bed.

"Yep. Bring me your backpack. We'll pack some toys for you to play with, because we might be there a long time."

Luke was shaking his head. "I don't wanna go to the hopsital. I'm playin' Spiderman."

Eric sighed. "I know." He knew he couldn't admit that _he_ didn't particularly want to go, either. "But we have to. It'll be fun," he lied. "You get to meet your new cousin."

Luke shrugged, unaffected, and went back to his playing.

Eric went to the closet and found Luke's little blue backpack on one of the hooks. He folded Luke's blanket, a few small picture books, and a yo-yo inside and then tapped the back of Luke's head lightly. "Come on, buddy. Time to go. You can bring Spiderman with you."

"No." Luke shook his head, defiant, and Eric licked his lips. He could hear Donna downstairs locking the front door, getting ready to leave.

"_Hey_. I said time to go." It was a harsher tone than he usually used, and Luke looked up, surprised.

"Do we _have_ to?" Luke whined, but he stood up and let Eric slip the backpack on him.

"Yes, Luke." His tone wasn't as harsh, but it was warning and clearly belonged to a disciplinarian. Every once in awhile it still took Eric aback when he realized that voice was actually _his_. He sounded like freakin' Red. And Luke… well, to his horror, Luke sounded like _him_. One day – hopefully not a day in the too-near future – his son would graduate from whiner to smart mouth. He supposed that was fitting.

When they got to the kitchen, Donna was in her coat. She was shoving a few saran-wrapped peanut butter sandwiches into her purse. Eric raised his eyebrows. "Is that dinner?"

Donna shot him a warning look – _don't start_ – and nodded.

He started anyway. "Donna, you should really be eating a better dinner than that." And it was true. At six months pregnant, there was no way half a PB&J would hold her all night. Nor would it hold a full grown man such as himself, but he chose to leave that part out.

"Well, we'll get something there then."

"Yay, hospital food!" Eric gave a fake cheer, hoping to make her smile. It had the opposite effect.

"Eric." She looked at him, exasperated, and then lifted a hand to her forehead. "Just… get his coat."

A little wounded, Eric did as she asked and helped Luke into his coat before gathering his own things. Donna shoved a juice box, an orange, and one of the sandwiches into Luke's backpack, and then kissed the top of his head. "Ready to go, baby?"

"Yeah." He was turning Spiderman over and over in his hands, still pouting.

On their way out to the garage, Eric unfurled a wadded up tissue from his coat pocket, and wiggled it in front of Donna. "Here, look. Here's my white flag. Truce?"

Finally, she laughed. "I'm sorry. It's just… I don't know. It's been a long day."

"And it's about to be a long night, too." Eric buckled Luke into his car seat and then shut the door, turning to Donna.

"Exactly."

Eric took a step closer to her and rested his hands along her burgeoning waist. "Are you feeling alright?"

"No. I'm achy."

His face twisted sympathetically. "I wish I could carry the baby for you."

"No you don't." Donna rolled her eyes, her hand on the car door handle.

Eric smirked and pecked her lips before circling around to the driver's side. "Yeah, no I don't."

* * *

"Do you think we should've stopped to get them flowers? For a gift? I feel like people got us gifts," Donna whispered to Eric as they approached the hospital room. She held Luke's hand. "You could run down to the gift shop."

Eric shook his head, distracted as he searched for the room number they were looking for. "Um. Isn't the _baby_ the gift? You know… the gift of life."

They heard a loud wail, unmistakably Jackie's, as they approached the next room. She must have been fighting through a contraction.

"On second thought, maybe I should see if the gift shop has ear-plugs," Eric muttered, pushing open the door to the room.

"Jackie!" Donna immediately ran to her friend's bedside. "Oh my God, I can't believe it!"

"You can't believe that pregnancy ends in squeezing out an infant?" came Jackie's snotty reply. "Really, Donna. I think you need a biology lesson before it's too late." She poked Donna's belly pointedly and Donna pulled back and shot a look to Hyde, who shrugged.

"She's been like this the whole time. I didn't think it was possible, but she found a new level of bitchy." He was leaned up against the windowsill, his arms crossed and his shades hooked onto his t-shirt. Eric laughed.

"I am not _bitchy_, Steven," Jackie spat. Her teeth were clenched and the machine at her bedside indicated she was indeed having a contraction. "I am producing a human being, and believe it or not, that is an extremely painful process. A really, _really_ –" her voice broke, and she had to stop her speech for a moment, "really painful process." The contraction subsided; Jackie released a breath and then resumed her glaring. "So, I think I get to handle this however I want, and you get to deal with that."

Eric and Hyde glanced at each other, terrified by her outburst.

"Yep."

"Sounds good."

Jackie raised an eyebrow at the boys. "That's right. Now bring my god-son over here." She reached her arms out for Luke, and he walked over to her obediently.

"Hi auntie Jackie. Are you sick?"

"No, Luke. She's having her baby, remember?" Donna lightly corrected from her perch at the side of the bed.

"My baby?"

"No. Our baby is still right here," Donna patted her stomach.

"Oh." He turned his attention back to Jackie. "Did you get me any presents?"

"_Luke_!" Donna scolded, horrified.

Jackie just laughed. "Yep. There's a little something for you in my purse. Steven, give it to him."

Hyde raised his eyebrows and dug into the purse on the desk next to him, quickly producing a small bottle of bubbles with a lime green dinosaur on the front.

"Cool!" Luke exclaimed, eagerly grabbing for his prize.

"They're bubbles," Jackie offered from the bed. "You can go down the hall and blow them at the nursing staff for me, okay?" She lowered her voice, so only Donna could hear. "Those broads are withholding my pain medication."

Eric cleared his throat. "Luke, what do you say?" Now he sounded like Kitty.

"Thank you," Luke recited, not taking his eye off his new toy.

"You're welcome, Lukey." Jackie smiled, but her expression quickly turned to a predatory gleam and she eyed Hyde. "Now, Steven, go get me some ice chips. And talk to the nurses again about my epidural. I don't care if you have to make some threats. Just get me those drugs."

"You got it, doll."

Now Donna was scowling, too. "Yeah. And Eric, go get me a hoagie from the cafeteria. I'm hungry."

"A hoagie?"

"Whatever. Just something hot."

"Uh. Okay."

"Take Luke with you."

"I wanna stay wiff Mommy!" Luke protested.

"Of course you do," Jackie soothed her godson, running a hand along the back of his hair. "Your dad is best in very small doses. I understand."

"Okay, Luke, c'mon." Eric rolled his eyes and pulled his pouting son away from Jackie. Together with Hyde they headed out to the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder before the door swung shut. Donna and Jackie were perched together on the bed, whispering away conspiratorially. He sighed. They were double trouble when they were pregnant.

"Great," he mumbled to Hyde. "Now Jackie's contaminated Donna. She's gonna be all bitchy."

Hyde nodded in agreement. "It's like the plague, man. I'm concerned for the fetus."

"What's bitchy?" Luke piped up, still frowning from his separation from the girls.

Eric froze and looked at Hyde, eyes wide, before down at his 4yo. "Um. It's a… type of bird."

"Oh." Appeased, Luke was quickly back to his bubbles, and Eric gave a sigh of relief.

Hyde was looking at him like he was crazy, though. He shook his head. "Yeah, I'm never takin' parenting advice from you."

Eric grimaced. "Yeah? Just wait until yours can talk."

* * *

"God, I can't believe Luke just demanded a present like that! I am so sorry. I don't know what got into him! It was like he was –"

"Me?" Jackie smirked. She patted Donna's hand. "It's all part of my master plan to make your children love me more than they love you." Donna frowned – it was kind of true. Luke adored Jackie. Ever since he was born, she had spoiled him rotten. Every time she babysat she brought him a new toy or a cookie from the bakery, and she always let him stay up past his bedtime.

"Oh yeah?" Donna arched her eyebrow. "Well when your kid comes over to my house for play dates, I'm gonna let her play with dirt."

Jackie gasped. "You wouldn't."

"Oh I _so_ would. I think Luke even eats it sometimes. Welcome to my world, Jackie."

"Boys are so g-gross," Jackie inhaled sharply, another contraction hitting her. She screwed her eyes shut and gripped the bedrail while Donna looked on, concerned. When Jackie finally opened her eyes, they were swimming with unshed tears. "_Jesus_, why does this have to hurt so much?" she whimpered.

"I know," Donna frowned. She leaned forward to wipe a sweat bead from her friend's forehead. "And I hate to break it to you, but this is actually the easy part."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, giving birth. I mean, it seems like the hardest thing you've ever done, right?" Jackie nodded. "I thought so too. But then you have to learn how to breastfeed – trust me, that's no picnic. And staying up all night with a colicky baby is pretty much my definition of hell on earth. And don't even get me started on what it's like to drop him off at daycare for the first time –"

"Yeah, well, _my_ baby will be perfect. I won't have those problems." Jackie waved her off and fluffed her hair, managing to be condescending even in a sweat-drenched hospital gown.

"Uh huh." Donna sat back, giving her poor, deluded friend a look.

"I already have so many cute little dresses for her," Jackie gushed. "Pink, of course. And we painted the nursery this golden color. It has little duckies for a wallpaper border, isn't that sweet? And I just know she's gonna love her name."

Donna was still eyeing her wearily. "Yeah, but Jackie, parenting is about a lot more than that stuff. And it's not easy, okay? I'm just trying to warn you –"

"I know, Donna." Jackie's voice was soft.

"You know?"

Jackie shrugged, and she suddenly looked much smaller and more helpless than she had a few minutes ago. "Yeah. And it's scary, okay? Of course I'm worried. But I have enough scary going on at the moment," she gestured to the hospital bed and the machines surrounding them, "So, if you don't mind, I'm focusing on the fun parts of having a daughter."

"You're right," Donna nodded, understanding. She touched Jackie's hand. "I'm sorry. There _is_ a lot to look forward to."

"For both of us." Jackie gestured to Donna's belly. "Do you think our girls are gonna be best friends?"

"Yeah," Donna smiled. "We'll make them."

Jackie clapped her hands together excitedly, and Donna caught a glimpse of the 17yo cheerleader she used to be. "I can't wait to take her prom dress shopping."

"And _wedding_ dress shopping."

"Her first manicure."

"Her first feminist rally."

"I'm gonna teach her how to ride a pony. No," Jackie gasped. "I'm gonna _buy_ her a pony. Steven's dad is rich!"

They laughed for awhile, trading stories about their soon-to-be daughters while Jackie suffered through a few more contractions. As a particularly brutal one subsided, Donna bit her lip.

"Sometimes I worry about having a girl, though. You know?"

"No." Jackie shook her head. "I always wanted a daughter."

"Me too," Donna said. "But I just… I want to make sure I get it right for her. You know? I love my mom, but she didn't get everything right."

Jackie shook her head sadly. "Mine didn't, either." She grabbed Donna's hand frantically. "Oh, god. Donna, girls hate their moms!"

"Jackie, no they don't. They just… they need to be handled with special care. Like, what if she comes to me at fifteen and wants to be on birth control? What do I say?"

Jackie gasped. "Oh, fifteen year olds don't do that."

"Jackie, _we_ were doing that when we weren't much older. And smoking pot in a basement, and vandalizing the water tower, and going skinny dipping, and –"

"Okay, okay, I get it. We were horrible." They shared a smile, remembering their misspent youth fondly for a few moments. But then Jackie frowned. "God, these kids can never know about the stuff we used to do." She cradled her baby bump protectively. "No way."

"I'll never tell yours if you never tell mine."

"Pinky swear it."

* * *

"Hey, excuse me?" Hyde banged on the nurses desk, but none of them looked up. "Hello?"

"We can't administer the epidural to your wife until she's 4 centimeters dilated, sir. It's hospital policy," the bored one with the clipboard answered him, just like she had the last five times he'd asked.

Hyde tugged at his hair in frustration, then turned to Eric. "And she thinks Jackie will accept that answer? HA."

Eric watched his friend with amusement. Hyde had taken off his sunglasses hours ago – usually the first sign that he was out of sorts. Now he was pacing back and forth in front of the nurses' station. "Man, calm down. There's nothing you can do."

Hyde stopped his pacing, and stared at a spot on the floor. "I know," he answered quietly. "That's what sucks."

Eric had been ready to make fun of Hyde for his rare freak-out, but now he softened. "She said she wanted ice too, right? Bring her that."

Hyde's teeth were clenched, and he still glared at his feet. "The damn ice machine is broken. The one on the next floor up, too."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Hyde continued to pace around the nurses' station. They were all taking great pains to ignore him, but Eric heard him mumble, "One damn thing has to go right today. Just _one_."

Eric felt for his friend, but he slunk around the corner to check on Luke, opting to give Hyde his space. Having a baby was stressful and pretty awful at times, and Hyde had been by Jackie's bedside all day. Given that normal Jackie was already prone to unpleasantness, Eric couldn't imagine Hyde was having an easy go of it. Flustered Hyde was funny, but a pissed off Jackie always meant one thing: a pissed off Hyde. It was best to steer clear for the next few hours.

Eric walked over to Luke, who was curled up in an overstuffed armchair. There was a small sitting area across from Jackie's room, and Eric had set him up with his blanket and the books he'd packed. Thanks to all the work Donna did with him, Luke could already do some basic reading. Eric touched Luke's head, and his son looked up at him with wide eyes. "Daddy, what's sex?"

"_What_?" Eric's eyes bugged out of his head. Hyde had followed him around the corner, and he cackled.

"Enjoy, Forman." Hyde slapped him on the shoulder and headed down the hallway, mumbling about trying a different nurses' station.

"Um." Eric swallowed thickly, and turned back to his expectant son. He hadn't anticipated this conversation happening anytime soon – the kid was four, for crissakes. Luke hadn't even asked this question when he and Donna had told him about the new baby. And where had he learned that word? Damn it, he _knew_ letting Fez babysit had been a mistake. "What… what do you mean, buddy?" He stalled, frantically trying to come up with an age-appropriate answer. Donna was much better at this stuff…

"M or F." Luke shoved a piece of paper at him. It was a medical background form – the kind hospitals left lying on end tables for patient access.

"Oh!" Eric felt his knees buckle with relief, and he reached out to ruffle his son's fluffy hair. "Oh. Uh, it means 'male' and 'female'. Like boys and girls. You're a male."

"Okay." Luke contemplated this for a moment, and then shrugged. "Can I have gum?"

"Yeah, sure." Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack of spearmint. "Here. Don't swallow it."

Luke happily returned to his board book, and Eric exhaled sharply, his heart rate finally slowing. Having kids was not for the feint hearted.

* * *

"What if she wants to get her bellybutton pierced?" Jackie said. She was propped up in bed now, and they were quizzing each other back and forth.

Donna made a sound of disgust and shook her head. "No way. Those are trashy. And she doesn't need to walk around with her belly hanging out, anyway."

"Well I think they can be kind of cute –"

"Jackie!" Donna cut her off. "No. Because if you let your kid get one, then mine is definitely gonna want one!"

"Yeah," Jackie nodded. "It's true. I'm sure she'll be a trend setter." She smiled down at her baby bump affectionately.

"That's not what I –" Donna trailed off, shaking her head. She thought for a moment, and chewed on her lip. "Okay, here's one. What if she comes home with a Casey, and I know she needs an Eric?"

Jackie was quiet. "Or a Michael." Her face contorted in horror. "Donna, what if she dates a Michael?"

Donna smirked. "Hyde will kill him?"

Jackie visibly relaxed. "That's right. He will." She patted Donna's hand. "But Eric's too scrawny to be intimidating, so you need a different plan."

Donna sighed.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a pudgy young nurse bustled in.

"Mrs. Hyde?"

"Yes." Jackie straightened up. "Did you bring my epidural?"

"No. But there's a man at our nurses station who claims to be your husband. We explained that you can't have the epidural until you're four centimeters dilated, but he demanded that we do something to manage your pain. He was so angry that my co-worker started crying."

Jackie chuckled. "Yep, that's my husband."

The nurse snapped her glove on, looking unamused. "Well, I'm here to check your dilation again. Then we'll see what our options are."

Jackie pooched out her lips in a pout. "But aren't you the head nurse? Can't you just, like, _say_ that I'm 4 centimeters?"

The nurse was trying not to laugh, and she crouched at the foot of the bed. "I'm afraid that's not how it works." She lifted up Jackie's sheet and exclaimed. "Oh, my."

"Oh my what?"

"You're ready to go!"

"Ready for my epidural?" Right on cue, another contraction was building.

"No," the nurse shook her head. "No, you're ready to push!"

"_What_?" Panic flooded Jackie's chest. "But you never even got me the stupid drugs!"

"Yes, it seemed you progressed much faster than we'd thought."

"Well isn't that just _peachy_," Jackie gritted her teeth. Then she slapped a hand to her chest in panic. "Oh my God, Donna. Steven! Where the hell is he? Where the hell has he been this whole," she gasped and her eyes clenched shut. The contraction must have been incredibly strong, "this whole freaking time?"

"Uh, hunting down your epidural," Donna reminded her. "Jackie, you sent him away."

"Well now I want him back!"

"Okay, okay. I'm on it." Donna stood and gathered her family's coats, and headed for the door. She stopped at the foot of the bed and gave Jackie's leg a squeeze. "Jackie… good luck. You're gonna do great." Jackie looked touched, until Donna's expression turned to a wicked grin. "Oh, and I hope your baby doesn't have as big a head as you, or this will be one painful delivery!"

* * *

Eric and Donna were slumped across the uncomfortable waiting room chairs. Luke was asleep on the coach a few feet away, wrapped up in a pile of their coats. Donna smiled at her sleeping baby boy, and then checked her wristwatch, stifling another yawn. It was nearly midnight.

Next to her, Eric was about to nod off, too. His eyes kept closing and his head jerked forward every few minutes as he attempted to catch himself before he dozed off. They still had an hour and a half car ride in front of them, so Donna poked his cheek lightly. "Hey."

His eyes fluttered open and he stretched his arm to rest behind her back. "Hey."

She grinned at the sleepy, befuddled look on his face and rested her head against his shoulder. His eyes were already closing again. She was tired, too. "Thank you for my lasagna."

"You're welcome."

"It was much tastier than a peanut butter sandwich," she teased, and he smiled but still didn't open his eyes.

"Good."

Donna hesitated, and then cupped his knee. "And thanks for putting up with your crazy, pregnant wife, too."

Now he opened his eyes, and blearily focused them on her. He looked for a moment like he was going to say something sincere, but then he smirked. "You were crazier last time."

Luckily, Donna laughed. "Yeah, I suppose I was." She brushed back some of his hair with her hand, and traced a faint scar on his forehead. "I still kind of think you deserved this, though."

"What?"

"Eric. You were complaining about a _paper cut_ while I was in labor."

"Well it hurt." Donna shook her head and elbowed him in the stomach, lightly. He laughed and smoothed his hair back over his forehead. "But don't worry, I will keep that in mind next time."

"Next time," Donna echoed. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Not long, now."

"Not long at all." Donna picked up Eric's free hand, and laced his fingers with hers before setting it on top of her belly.

"How's that baby doin'?"

"She's doing great." They both gazed at the bump for a moment. "Except, she could probably use some more lasagna. Or at least a cookie."

Eric sat up. "You want me to go get you something?"

"Yeah. In a minute."

"Okay." Eric sat back, and they both looked over at Luke when he rolled onto his back and let out a rousing snore. They guessed he had inherited that from his grandpa Bob. Luke's legs were long, now, and they hung off the end of the couch. His light up Spiderman sneakers were grayed and worn, and probably already a little too small for him. Eric voiced what they were both thinking, "God, he's getting big."

"Yeah." Donna rubbed his arm, a wistful expression on her face. "Do you think this one will be as perfect as him? Like, I mean… is that even possible?" Her hand was on her belly again.

Eric glanced at her. "Are you kidding? Of course she will." He was surprised by how much he meant that. In quiet moments like this one, his fear of having a daughter seemed silly. _Of course_ she would be perfect. _Of course_ they'd figure her out. They adjusted to Luke, and they'd adjust to little Whatshername.

"Yeah," Donna smiled against his shoulder. Now it was her turn to be almost drifting asleep. "We make good babies."

"The best," Eric agreed, petting her hair lightly. Then he cleared his throat. "But have you noticed that Luke's been a little bratty lately? He was so mouthy today."

Donna smirked. "He was 'mouthy', Eric? Wow, I just… can't _imagine_ who he might have inherited that from…"

"And he asks all these questions, too," Eric continued, ignoring Donna's jab. "That's definitely on _you_. Would you stop making him so freaking smart, already? I don't… I don't think I want him to grow anymore. We should stop feeding him." Donna wacked him in the stomach.

"Eric." She was giggling, despite herself. She glanced over at Luke, who was still blessedly asleep. "Be quiet. He might hear you."

"He didn't used to be like this, though. You know? He used to do whatever I said. And we played together."

"He's not a _dog_, Eric."

"I know," his voice got a little louder, his squeaky voice coming out as his frustration to explain himself mounted. "But I just… I don't…"

"What?" Donna lifted her head from his shoulder, and looked at him with more seriousness.

"I don't want us to end up like me and Red," he finished, the words sounding lame even to his own ears.

"Eric." Donna had softened completely now, and she rubbed a hand over his chest. "Honey, really? You won't. I promise, you won't. Luke adores you. He's just… he's going through a phase. Because of the new baby. All of the books say it's normal for him to act up."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Donna laid her head on his shoulder again. "Besides, that's why we're having a girl. Every little girl loves her daddy."

Eric thought about that. Maybe it was true. Red and Laurie had always had a connection he never could've hoped for. Even with all of his flaws, Donna still insisted on going down to visit Bob in Florida at least three times a year. Kelso – who had pretty much failed at everything he'd ever tried – was a truly good dad to Betsey, Carol, and Elise. Maybe there was something special about a baby girl.

"See," Donna was continuing, "I have it all planned out. When Luke is going through his horrible years, I get to be his favorite. He's gonna be a momma's boy." She poked Eric in the ribs. "He inherited _that_ from you, too. And you get this one." She gestured to her tummy. "It all works out."

"Yeah, okay." Eric kissed the top of her head. Even if he wasn't completely won over, he loved her for trying. "Oh, hey." Now he laughed. "I forgot to tell you. Earlier, Luke asked me what sex is."

"What?" Donna laughed too and sat up, now fully awake. "What'd you say?" Eric explained the mix-up and what Luke's question had really been, and they both laughed some more. "I wouldn't be surprised if he'd really asked," Donna said once they'd calmed down some. "I had the baby talk with him, like, months ago."

"You did?" He hadn't known that.

"Yeah. He wanted to know how the baby got in my tummy."

"And what'd you say?"

Donna shrugged. "I told him that when a mommy and a daddy love each other very, very much, they close their eyes and they make a wish." She leaned up and kissed Eric gently to punctuate the sentiment. He smiled against her mouth.

"Damn, you're good." Eric looked at his wife in amazement as they pulled away. He knew she'd know just what to say. That was another reason he didn't need to be worried: Donna knew _everything_. She knew how to make Luke stop crying when he was an infant and when they were supposed to start feeding him solid foods. She knew what to do when he'd swallowed a marble, and when he'd locked himself in the bathroom (apparently growing up around both Midge and Kelso was excellent practice for parenting). So maybe she was right about Luke's phase. And about dads and daughters, too.

"Ahem." Startled, Eric and Donna looked up to find Hyde standing in front of them, the door to the maternity ward swinging shut behind him. He was back in his Zeppelin t-shirt, changed out of the scrubs they'd last seen him in.

"Well?!" Donna jumped to her feet, while Eric went to gently collect Luke.

"It went well." Hyde cleared his throat. "Jackie's fine. She fell asleep a few minutes ago."

"And the baby?"

Hyde grinned, then nodded towards the nursery, just a few feet away. "Check it out, man." They all went to the glass and peered in at the babies. "She's the one with the purple socks. And the loud mouth." He smirked. Indeed, Baby Girl Hyde was the only one who was crying.

"Oh, she's gorgeous!" Donna embraced him first. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks." His voice was soft and he looked worn from the labor and the late hour. Still, it was easy to see how proud he was. It radiated from his eyes.

"Do you want us to come back in the morning?" Donna asked. "I'm sure Jackie's exhausted, and I really didn't want people around right after…" she trailed off but gestured to Luke. He was nodding awake in Eric's arms.

"Daddy," Luke mumbled sweetly. He rubbed his face on Eric's shirt as he slowly came-to, just like he'd done when he was really young. The eye boogers were a little gross, but Eric found he didn't mind at all. Luke yawned, and then groggily pointed to a stork stenciled on the wall of the nursery. "Is that bitchy?"

Hyde threw a sideways glance at Eric, and then one at a frowning Donna.

"Uh, no, that's called a stork, Luke." Eric looked at Donna and made a gesture like their four year old had been hitting the sauce again. Despite herself, she laughed and reached for Luke.

"Come on, baby." She lowered him to the ground and reached for his hand. "Let's go pack your stuff up. These two are clearly terrible influences on you." She gave one last headshake to Eric, who was breathing a sigh of relief, and grinned at Hyde. She leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Congrats again, Daddy."

"Thanks," Hyde said. Donna left around the corner, giving Eric and Hyde the privacy neither of them would ever ask for. Hyde shook his head. "That still sounds a little weird."

" 'Dad'?"

"Yeah."

Eric and Hyde had turned back towards the nursery. Hyde leaned on the window ledge with his elbows while Eric braced his hands against it. They both looked at the rows of babies rather than each other.

"Yeah," Eric agreed. "That never really goes away."

They didn't say anything for awhile.

"Are you," Eric threw his oldest friend a glance. "Are you freaking out?"

Hyde shook his head slowly, but he didn't look away from the bassinet that held his daughter. When he spoke, his voice was rough. "No." That was all he said. He smiled.

"Did you get to hold her?"

"Yep."

"And?"

Hyde slowly nodded, still looking at the baby. Eric had never seen him smile so much; it would be concerning under any other circumstances. "That's good stuff."

"Jackie's good?"

"Jackie's great."

Baby Girl Hyde yawned, and now they both smiled. She had a little pink bow glued amid her tangle of dark brown hair.

"She looks like Jackie," Eric said quietly.

"I know."

They went back to silence, but Eric carefully watched Hyde out of the corner of his eye. He really didn't seem to be bluffing about his anxiety. In fact, he looked as serene as Eric had ever seen him outside a circle. Serene and _so happy_. It took Eric back to the day he'd become a father. Lots of it was blurry – Donna had thrown a remote at his head – but he remembered that overwhelming rush of love at first sight, and the weight of a tiny, perfect little person in his arms. He glanced at Hyde again, and that's what he saw on his face as he gazed at his daughter – that exactly. So maybe he'd be okay. Maybe they both would.

"I should get back." Hyde finally stepped away from the window, and then Eric did too.

"Yeah."

"Hey, ah. Thanks for sticking around tonight." He clapped Eric's shoulder. He was touched at their support, Eric could tell, but he wasn't going to say more.

"Of course. We'll be back tomorrow with Mom and Red, bearing gifts and pink cigars."

"Save some of those for yourself." Hyde raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Us with a couple of daughters." Eric shook his head, laughing. "What are we gonna do?"

Hyde shook his head, just as miffed. "Keep 'em the hell away from Kelso's son."

"Right you are."

"G'night, Forman."

"Night."

Hyde pushed back through the maternity ward doors without a glance back, leaving Eric in front of the nursery glass.

_A daughter_. He really thought about it again. He supposed there really wasn't anything so scary about a little girl, after all. Girls could play basketball – many better than him – and build models, and probably even watch Star Wars. Maybe she'd have a better attention span than Luke. But if she wanted to wear pink and do ballet, Eric now knew he'd be just as excited. Because being a girl's dad was a special kind of responsibility, and he was up to the challenge. And he wouldn't be going it alone.

"Eric."

Donna was standing behind him, Luke once again completely out in her arms. She was tired but she still smiled at him and Eric saw something in her face, in the way her hair fell in her eyes, that reminded him of their wedding day. That was the day he'd told her, in front of God and everyone, that he'd never love another girl as much as her. But now his eyes drifted to her baby bump.

He was going to have to make an exception to that vow.


End file.
